Strand 3: Formal Learning develops principled and experimentally tested designs, often accompanied by innovative uses of technology, that promote the kinds of learning in formal educational settings (e.g. schools, workshops) that prepare people to continue to learn throughout their lives.

The Strand 3 strategy is to build a team that encompasses a range of expertise that includes faculty of education, psychology, engineering, and communication from UW, Stanford, and Vanderbilt, plus senior scientists (including SRI), post-docs, and graduate students with degrees ranging from mathematics to biology to fine arts to computer science to psychology. Several faculty from Strand 2 are also directly budgeted for work in Strand 3, and faculty with expertise in educational gaming and maximizing the benefits of cross-cultural exchange are slated to contribute from their home institutions. A research assistant supported by both Strands 2 and 3 will focus explicitly on coordinating research with Dr James Banks, LIFE's diversity advisor. In addition, Strand 3 researchers are forming research partnerships with faculty at MSI's. For example, Strand 3 will collaborate with Bryant York of Portland State University who is coordinating research on games and learning.

Strand 3 is led by John Bransford (UW) and Dan Schwartz (Stanford), who share a strong history of within- and between-university collaboration, as well as collaborations with faculty outside their home disciplines.

An especially important sub-strategy for Strand 3 has been to develop hypotheses about transfer and learning that drive its research plan and that have implications for LIFE as a Center.